Yarrowstem's Stories
by Pebbleheart25
Summary: "Why, hello, little ones. Did you come for a story? Well, you've come to the right elder. Now, let's see; what do you want to hear first?" (Rated "T" because it's Warriors)
1. Chapter 1

"Yarrowpaw and Jaypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Frogstar looked down at me, and I nodded and managed to let out a weak, "I do." My brother did them same, but he seemed to be more confident than me.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jayclaw. StarClan honors your loyalty and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SorrelClan." Frogstar rested his head on my brother's shoulder, and Jayclaw licked his shoulder in return. Then Frogstar turned to me.

"Yarrowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Yarrowstem. StarClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SorrelClan." Frogstar rested his head on my shoulder, and I licked his shoulder in return.

"Yarrowstem! Jayclaw! Yarrowstem! Jayclaw!" the Clan chanted. My father's eyes shone with pride, and Deadgrass was already running forward to lick our faces.

* * *

"Now, run along, little ones. I think I hear Bluerose calling for you," I meow to three eager looking kits. "Yes, Yarrowstem," Swiftkit, Bark-kit, and Cloudkit mewed. They scampered out of the elder's den and ran towards their mother eagerly, tripping over themselves as they ran.

Cloudkit turned around. "May we come back later for another story?" I nod and reply, "Of course!" Cloudkit smiles and follows her siblings.

* * *

 **I promise that the chapters after this are longer and a lot better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So... I wasn't even thinking about continuing this because I thought the first chapter was kinda boring, but then, the day after publishing this, I checked my email. When I saw that this had not only gotten a review, but also a follow and favorite, I was overjoyed!**

 **Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much to Olivetail of Awesomeclan for encouraging me to continue this story! And to Firestarlives for following AND favoriting this story!**

 **This chapter was suggested by Olivetail of Awsomeclan, and, since I feel like I owe them, I'm dedicating this chapter to them.**

 **I will gladly take suggestions for future chapters as well. Just note that I might not use the idea if I don't like the idea or the plot is too complicated for me to write.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Warriors_ ; Erin Hunter does.**

* * *

I bent my head to sniff the four bundles of fluff curled up in the mossy nest. "They're beautiful," I whispered to the reddish queen with white paws. "Thank you, Yarrowstem," she replied, before bending her head down to lick a tuft off her that was out of place on one of her kits' backs. I murmured a goodbye and left the nursery.

Poppymeadow's kits grew quickly. As soon as their eyes were open, they were out of the nursery and getting under every cats' paws. Once, they dug a hole in the middle of the clearing and it tripped Frogstar. Frogstar, strict as always, made them check the elders for ticks and clean their bedding for a moon! The apprentices were thrilled.

Before we knew it, it was the day before the kits' apprentice ceremony. Blacknight was teaching them the hunter's crouch, and I was watching. Frogstar had told me that I was going to mentor Mothkit, so I was interested to see how my future apprentice was doing.

"Creek-kit, you have to keep your tail still," Blacknight told the gray-blue she-kit. Creek-kit's tail stilled immediately. "Maplekit, bend your front legs a bit more. Lark-kit, at least try to stop fidgeting. Mothkit, that's perfect!" Mothkit, a dappled black-and-gray she-kit, shone with pride. "Father, may we pleeeeease go play now?" Lark-kit, a ginger tom-kit, asked, his eyes shining with playfulness.

Blacknight sighed, "I guess so," then padded to the fresh-kill pile to eat. "Yay!" Maplekit, a tawny tabby she-kit, squealed. She and her siblings got up and ran to the bushes behind the nursery.

Awhile later, at sun-high, Poppymeadow was panicking. "I can't find the kits anywhere! They aren't anywhere in camp!"

Frogstar started organizing search parties immediately. Blacknight, Jayclaw, and Goldengoose were in one patrol. Poppymeadow, Grayleaf, and myself were in the other.

The first place my patrol went was the Sun Stones. "Yarrowstem, you look that way," Poppymeadow said, pointing to the left with her tail. "Grayleaf, head that way," she added, pointing to the right. "I'll head that way," she finished, pointing in front of her.

We each went the direction we were assigned and searched every crack of the Sun Stones. Just when I was ready to give up, a tuft of ginger fur caught on a bramble caught my eye. "Poppymeadow, Grayleaf, over here!" I called.

A few moments later, Poppymeadow and Grayleaf were sniffing the tuft of fur. "It's Lark-kit's alright," Poppymeadow meowed. Grayleaf was already following the scent trail. "Come on," he mewed. "I've found their trail!"

Poppymeadow and I followed Grayleaf away from the Sun Stones to a hollow tree. This was where the apprentices usually went to get fresh moss for bedding.

Poppymeadow ran straight to the tree. "Kits?" she called.

"Mommy!" Three kits tumbled out of the hollow tree and ran to their mother. Poppymeadow looked at them when they sat down. She looked ready to lecture them, but then froze.

"Where's Mothkit?"

The kits looked at their paws. "I said: Where is Mothkit?!" Poppymeadow glared at them. "Hunting," they replied together.

Poppymeadow nearly fainted. Grayleaf rushed to help her stand up, while I began circling the tree, desperately search for any traces of her scent. Finding nothing, I returned to the kits. Poppymeadow was still shaking.

"Let's bring these three back to camp," I meow. "Then we can get a larger patrol and look for Mothkit." Poppymeadow managed a weak nod, and we began making our way back to camp.

The hollow tree wasn't far from camp, so it didn't take long for us to get back. When we entered the camp, the rest of SorrelClan crowded around us.

"You found them!" "Where were they?" "Are they okay?" "Are you alright, Poppymeadow?" "Aren't there supposed to be four kits?"

Poppymeadow flinched at the last comment, but managed to reply, "Mothkit is still lost. She went 'hunting' for Creek-kit, Lark-kit, and Maplekit."

Frogstar pushed his way through the crowd. "What happened?" he demanded when he saw Poppymeadow's worried face. Then he caught sight of the kits. "You found them!"

Leaving Poppymeadow and Grayleaf to explain everything all over again, I lead the kits to the nursery. They followed me obediently. After making sure they were settled, I returned to my nest in the warriors den. Hopefully, we would find Mothkit before her apprentice ceremony. I had been really looking forward to having an apprentice.

One moon later, Mothkit was still not found. Her siblings had now been apprentices for a moon. Frogstar had told me that he was sorry that I couldn't mentor Mothkit, and that I would get first choice of kits to mentor from the next litter.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the high-rock for a Clan meeting!" Frogstar's yowl filled the clearing. Cats streamed from the dens and sat down around the high-rock.

"It has been one whole moon since the disappearance of Mothkit. Since we have still found no trace of her, I'm afraid I must name her dead," Frogstar announced. Shocked murmurs broke out in the crowd, and Poppymeadow was crying.

* * *

 **Ten Moons Later**

"Smallbubble, do you smell that?" I asked. Smallbubble, Blacknight, and Frogstar all opened their mouths to taste the air.

"Rouge!" Blacknight announced first. Frogstar nodded in agreement. "Let's make sure they aren't on our territory."

The patrol broke into a quick trot, following the scent of rouge. "I don't know why, but it smells...familiar," I commented. Frogstar sniffed the air again. "You're right! But who could it be?"

Suddenly, a dappled gray-and-white she-cat jumped out of the bushes. I recognized her immediately, and I could tell Blacknight could too. "Mothkit!" I exclaimed.

The she-cat hissed, "My name is Moth now." She glared at us, Blacknight especially. "You abandoned me! You left me in the forest, alone, cold, starving, and terrified! I bet you didn't even try to look for me!"

Frogstar opened his mouth to object, but Moth silenced him with a glare. "I was found by a family of rogues, Bird, Cloud, and their kits, Kestrel and Quail. They took me in, and cared for me. They were the only family I had. SorrelClan abandoned me."

Frogstar looked ready to screech at her, but Moth continued, "Now, I will get revenge on you!" She pounced on Frogstar, clawing his back with bramble-thorn-sharp claws. Smallbubble pushed her off, and together we pinned her, hissing and spitting, to the ground.

Her eyes were filled with hatred. "Let me go, you mange-ridden flea-pelts!" she growled. Frogstar stood over her, blood dripping off his shoulders. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. His ears turned to the right, and he sniffed.

"Are those your kits in the bush, Moth?" he asked. Moth's eyes widened in surprised, then she hissed, "Stay away from them frog-breath!" Frogstar ignored her and parted the bush's leaves with a paw.

Huddled together and mewling in hunger were two kits. One was white with gray spots, and the other was pitch black. They looked about old enough to eat solid food, but not by more than a few days. Moth struggled harder when Frogstar sniffed the kits, though it was obvious she was growing tired.

Frogstar then turned back to Moth, and meowed, "Do you wish to join SorrelClan again?" Moth hissed at him, her face clearly stating, "No!"

"Why would I ever want to live in an evil, kit-abandoning Clan like yours again?" Moth spat. Frogstar sighed. "Then I hereby banish you from SorrelClan territory forever. If we see you in our territory again, you will be killed."

"Release her, Smallbubble and Yarrowstem," Frogstar ordered. We obeyed, and, instantly, Moth turned and slashed Frogstar's throat. He fell to the ground, while Smallbubble pounced on Moth.

Blacknight was sitting off to the side, in his own world of grief, and Frogstar looked like he was losing a life. After a few minutes of fighting, Moth managed to pin me down. She raised her paw to claw my throat, but Smallbubble was there first.

He rammed into her, sending her flying through the air. She hit a tree and I heard a sickening crack. At that moment, Frogstar stood up, his throat wound gone. He had lost a life.

Frogstar turned to look at Moth's body and shook his head sadly. High pitched mews started coming from the bush again, and I remembered Moth's kits.

Frogstar decided to take the kits into SorrelClan. They were about the same age as Bluefog's kits, so she would be their adopted mother. They grew up in the ways of the Clans. As soon as they were old enough to understand, Frogstar told Blacknight to tell them about their past. It didn't bother them much, and they grew into strong warriors.

* * *

"Who are the two kits?" Cloudkit asked curiously. Swiftkit cuffed Cloudkit over her ears. "They're Toadthroat and Minnowice!"

"Ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh...," Cloudkit mewed. "I guess it makes sense. Toadthroat is black, and Minnowice is grey with black spots."

I nodded. "You're right, Swiftkit. Now, kits, it's almost sunset. Bluerose won't be happy if you don't get back to the nursery soon," I meow. "Thanks for the story, Yarrowstem!" Bark-kit meows as she follows her siblings to the nursery. "Good night!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again to Olivetail of Awesomeclan for being the first (and only) person to review last chapter so far! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

All was peaceful in the SorrelClan camp. Warriors were peacefully eating their fresh-kill, kits were peacefully napping, queens were peacefully watching their kits, and apprentices were peacefully play fighting... Absolute peace.

Until you looked closer. Then you would notice that the warriors were totally alert, the queens were warily glancing up every few moments, as if expecting something to appear and attack them at any moment, and that the apprentices were fighting more violently than usual, tails bristled in a non-playful way, ears back, and hissing every few seconds. If you looked at the very center of the camp, instead of cats talking, there was a huge, gaping hole. This was a Clan ready for war.

Frogstar leapt onto the tall tree and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the tall tree for a Clan meeting!" The queens left their kits after much hestitation, the warriors abandoned their half eaten fresh-kill (which the elders dragged off to their den to eat), the apprentices stopped play fighting, and the elders (after moving the fresh-kill) sat down around the tall tree with every cat else.

"Today is the day we get revenge on TreeClan for blaming us for stealing their prey!" Frogstar yowled. The warriors and apprentices burst into excited cheers, while the elders and most of the queens cheered half-heartedly. The cats who had been chosen to go on the battle patrol were cheering loudest of all.

"Goldengoose, Flyheart, Bluefog, Magnoliaflower, Vineleap, Kinktail, Blossomjump, Deadgrass, Cavepaw, Spotpaw, Whitequil, Poppymeadow, Driftpelt, Sunnybird, Applefeather, Marshpuddle, Quailnight, and Brownsilver, we are leaving now."

Frogstar lead his extra large battle patrol of warriors and apprentices through the camp entrance and into the SorrelClan forest. Jaypaw and I had been assigned to follow the patrol, stay hidden, and get extra help if needed. We were to stay out of sight of even the SorrelClan patrol. If we sensed a TreeClan patrol, however, it was our job to warn our Clan's patrol.

Jaypaw and I rolled in the patch of scentless mushrooms in front of the camp before we followed the patrol. This was one of SorrelClan's secret weapons: making ourselves smell like nothing at all.

We stopped a little ways away from the TreeClan camp without finding any traces of any patrols at all, which was very odd. We had expected to at least find traces of a hunting patrol making a kill. Maybe TreeClan wasn't smart enough to hunt.

"Applefeather, Marshpuddle, Quailnight, Brownsilver, wait here until until you hear the first battle cry. Then go in and steal the kits. Applefeather, you will have to carry two kits since Quailnight has to go back with Brownsilver. After the first attack on the kits, the queens will be more wary, so the second patrol must be larger than the first," Frogstar meowed. Applefeather nodded and he and the rest of the cats assigned to steal the kits hid under a bramble bush. A few moments after they crouched under the bush, I couldn't even see them anymore.

The battle patrol made their way to the TreeClan camp, still unsensed by TreeClan. Frogstar waved his tail and the battle patrol spread out, hiding in the bushes surronding the camp. Still, we were unsensed by TreeClan. Once Jaypaw and I managed to squeeze under a bush and look into the TreeClan camp, we saw why.

Sunstar, the leader of TreeClan, had called a Clan meeting from the high-rock. The rest of TreeClan had gathered around, and Sunstar had started the announcement. Sunstar looked around the clearing, then meowed, "Is everyone here?"

Ivywind, a TreeClan warrior, yowled, "Yes!" Sunstar nodded in acknowledgement. "SorrelClan has blamed us for stealing their prey a lot lately. It is time we proved to them that we are strong enough to not need their prey!" Sunstar yowled. Yowls of agreement arose from the crowd of cats gathered beneath the high-rock. I shuttered. There were so many of them!

Frogstar slunk out from under one of the bushes and stood behind the crowd of cats, unnoticed. He stood up straight and hissed loudly, "Are you sure you want to do that, Sunstar?" Sunstar turned his head to look at Frogstar and replied calmly, "Yes, Frogstar, I'm sure."

Sunstar's tail flicked ever so slightly, and TreeClan rushed forward to attack, hissing and spitting. The queens rushed their kits back into the nursery, with a few warriors forming a protective circle around them. Once the queens and kits were inside, two of the warriors stayed at the entrance to guard them. The nursery wouldn't be safe for much longer, however.

Nightfall, a black and brown she-cat, charged at Frogstar. She hissed something at him, but I was too far away to make out what. Frogstar clawed her face, then dodged her paw. Nightfall leapt and landed on his back, claws dug in deep. Nightfall hissed something again, and Frogstar bucked Nightfall off his back, sending her flying into a tree. Then he turned and charged towards Sunstar, who had just chased Cavepaw away from the fresh-kill pile. Cavepaw always was thinking with his stomach.

Nightfall was unconcious by now, but Frogstar didn't seem to notice nor care. Ravenpaw, a TreeClan apprntice, turned her head towards Frogstar, and bit her atacker's neck. The SorrelClan warrior fell to the ground, stunned. Ravenpaw looked ready to charge towards Sunstar and Frogstar and help, but then thought better of it and wirled around to attack another SorrelClan warrior, this time Flyheart.

Sunstar, as obsessed with the warrior code as always, yowled, "Follow the warrior code, TreeClan! Don't kill!" Jaypaw and I snickered. They might end up having to kill. Our warriors were better than theirs by a _lot_.

Lionmoon, a yellow TreeClan tom, knocked another SorrelClan warrior over and clawed them. The SorrelClan warrior, who Jaypaw and I couldn't reconize at the time, kicked Lionmoon's side, then jumped up and landed on his tail. He bit, and Lionmoon screeched in fury. The SorrelClan warrior's ears went flat and his face twisted. This was another one of SorrelClan's strengths, but this one was also a weakness. We are _very_ sensitive to sound.

Meanwhile, Ravenpaw was spitting something at Flyheart. Flyheart didn't seem to notice her though, and simply kicked Ravenpaw, then jumped on her back and clawed her. Ravenpaw lurched forward quickly, throwing Flyheart off. The SorrelClan deputy landed on all four paws unsteadily, but recovered quickly. Ravenpaw crouched down and ran under Flyheart's belly, clawing it as she went. Destinymist appeared at Ravenpaw's side and bit Flyheart, who whipped Destinymist in the face with her tail, confusing Destinymist long enough for Flyheart to shake herself free of her jaws.

While all this was happening, Rainclaw, another TreeClan warrior, was being pinned down by Vineleap. Rainclaw jumped and Vineleap was knocked into another SorrelClan warrior, who hissed at him. Vineleap charged back at Rainclaw and swatted his face with one powerful paw. I was distracted from the battle right about here when I noticed the bushes near the TreeClan nursery moving ever so slightly. The first group of kits was being stolen.

Goldengoose was thrown from where she was fighting to the bush we were hiding in. She whispered, "Nice hiding place," to us, then ran back towards the TreeClan warrior who threw her.

Clawpaw and Bushnell, who's name I never understood, were working together to fight another SorrelClan warrior. They were blocking my view of the warrior, though, so it was imposible to tell who it was. Clawpaw kicked them, while Bushnell attempted to claw their eyes. Clawpaw must have said that she was fine by herself, because Bushnell leapt at another SorrelClan warrior and left her to fight alone.

Ravenpaw chose this moment to hiss loudly enough for Jaypaw and me to hear, "Go away, Destinymist! I'm not a kit anymore! I can handle Flyheart myself!" Destinymist turned to reply, but Flyheart kicked her in the face, then grabbed Ravenpaw by her scruff and shook her like a dog would. Ravenpaw yowled and struggled, hissing loudly again, "Let me go and I won't kill you!"

Every SorrelClan cat's ears went back as a screech of pure grief erupted from the nursery, "They took Shadowkit, Firekit, and Rainkit! They stole the kits!" An even louder screech followed. "MY KITS!" A few SorrelClan cats looked like they were going to faint. I silently willed StarClan to make the queens mourn even a tiny bit quieter.

Turning back to the battle, I noticed Destinymist snarl something at Flyheart, who, yet again, ignored her. Goldengoose jumped at Destinymist and dragged her off Flyheart, snarling. Her snarls weren't words, though. Ravenpaw meowed something to Destinymist and ran into the forest, most likely after the kits.

Rainclaw and Destinymist were both being attacked within a few foxlengths of each other, so it was easy to see both of their fights at the same time.

Rainclaw hissed at Vineleap, who was attacking him from in front, while Magnoliaflower attacked him from behind. Kinktail ran towards Destinymist and attacked her with Goldengoose and Flyheart. Kinktail bit the silver she-cat's leg, while Vineleap hit Rainclaw's face. Magnoliaflower bit his tail at the same moment, leaving the TreeClan warrior confused and disoriented. Vineleap distracted Rainclaw by dodging every one of his swats, while Magnoliaflower bit the TreeClan warrior's tail yet again. Rainclaw screeched in fury and pain loud enough to cause the SorrelClan cats to all put their ears back.

Destinymist took advantage of her attackers' breif confusion and ran into the trunk of a tree. Jaypaw and I stared at her in confusion. What in the name of StarClan was that crazed warrior doing? Then I remembered. Destinymist sometimes had fits of randomness in which she went on and on about stuff called "chocolate." Jaypaw and I agreed that that was definately what was happening.

The insane silver warrior bounced onto another cat and yowled, "Get da medicine cat!" Lionmoon, Destinymist's mate, yowled at her, "Destinymist, this isn't the time for jokes!" Destinymist didn't seem to hear, and ran around the TreeClan camp yowling, "Kill me for fun! Yay!" Jaypaw rolled his eyes, and Destinymist began clawing herself. "I think I need a medicine cat!" she yowled, fake fainting. Goldengoose, Kinktail, and Flyheart had run back into the battle to fight other cats by now, but Goldengoose heard Destinymist and jumped off Ivywind, a TreeClan warrior, to attack the crazed she-cat.

Destinymist, still on the ground, continued her yowling while Goldengoose stared down at her, ears back. "Give me chocolate! What's chocolate? It yummy!" Goldengoose clawed the silver she-cat's stomach while Destinymist got up and danced on her hind legs, yowling, "Where da chocolate? I want det stuff now! Boom!" Goldengoose, who didn't seem to have remembered Destinymist's crazed moments, hit her head and clawed her stomach again, yowling, "Coward!"

Destinymist's eyes glazed over a bit, and she began swaying. She yowled a bit quieter, "Now...I...Need...A nap." Then she fainted for real. Lionmoon yowled for the TreeClan medicine cat, Stonefang, while Goldengoose bit Destinymist's tail and ran back into the battle. Lionmoon ran to the medicine den entrance and he and Stonefang began to argue, but we were out of earshot, the sounds of battle blurring our hearing. Destinymist was soon dragged into the medicine cats' den by Lionmoon and his apprentice, Hop-paw. The mentor and apprentice then returned to the battle.

By now, Northriver, a gray TreeClan warrior, had joined Rainclaw, evening the sides. Northriver clawed at Vineleap, who leaped onto her back and out the way. The tom bit Northriver's right ear, causing her to yowl in pain and anger. Vineleap and Magnoliaflower's ears went back.

On the other side of the camp, Dawnpaw, Ferretpaw, Littlepaw, Pearlpaw, Crowpaw, and Pinepaw piled on top of Bluefog, crushing her. The blue-gray she-cat collapsed, then the apprentices ran into the safety of a tree. Goldengoose carried her blue-gray sister back to the SorrelClan camp so Badgerlight could help her.

Under the high-rock, the two Clan leaders were fighting each other, each one trying to outdo the other's moves. The TreeClan leader clawed our leader's ear; the dark brown tabby shook his ear, splattering blood in Sunstar's face and confusing him for a moment. It was a very evenly sided fight so the most part. So far, they both had very few wounds. The ones they did have weren't too serious. Yet.

The SorrelClan warriors had begun to trap TreeClan around the high-rock. Airpaw, a black tom apprentice, climbed to the top of the high-rock and leapt into a tree. Dawnpaw and his siblings had already climbed into another tree and were hiding there. Ivywind's tail bristled when their claws met the trunk. My guess was that that was Ivywind's favorite tree, which I had heard about at a gathering.

Magnoliaflower bit Rainclaw's tail _again_ , making me think, _Did her mentor teach her any battle moves other than that?!_ Then the two SorrelClan siblings leapt at Rainclaw at the same time and pinned him to the ground. Rainclaw hissed at them, while Vineleap clawed his back roughly. Magnoliaflower attempted to tear a chunk of Rainclaw's ear off, but the TreeClan warrior just barely managed to dodge it. Lionmoon charged towards Rainclaw, and threw himself at Vineleap. The yellow warrior bit Vineleap's throat and held on for a few moments. Then he let go, letting Vineleap's body fall limp.

Sunstar looked horrified that one of his warriors had just broken the code, and yowled something I couldn't quite hear. He was being pinned down by Frogstar, who was clawed clumps of fur off his stomach. At that moment, Birdpelt burst out of the nursery, charging towards the camp entrance. Cavepaw tried to block her path, but Birdpelt bit his ear and tore a chunk off. The apprentice cried out in pain and ran away, allowing Birdpelt to charge out of camp, most likely to get her kits.

Lionmoon hissed at Magnoliaflower, "Your friend wasn't lucky. If you stop, maybe I'll let you live!" He didn't even seem to care that he had not only killed a cat, but broken the warrior code! I growled and tried to crawl out of the bush, but Jaypaw held me back.

Blossomjump ran at Lionmoon and head butted him, throwing him to the edge of the camp. She pinned him down and snarled, "You killed my mate!" Her snarl wasn't that loud, but they were close enough for us to hear.

"It was your mate's choice to hurt my friend! If he'd stopped, he'd have lived!" Lionmoon replied. Blossomjump lunged for his throat, and bit down hard. Lionmoon managed to choke, "If you kill me, you will break the Code. Your mate was hurting my friend, and I had to help him!" Blossomjump bit harder and snarled, "You already broke the Code. No cat will care if I do too. How would you feel if your mate died?"

Magnoliaflower still had Rainclaw pinned down, and was attacking him more violently than before. She was kicking, biting, clawing, hissing, and snarling. _Good,_ I thought. _At least Vineleap's death will be avenged._

Blossomjump clawed Lionmoon's stomach, then ran back into the battle to help Spotpaw. Lionmoon walked away, ignoring the blood and talking to himself.

Back under the high-rock, Frogstar had Sunstar pinned down on his back and was clawing at his stomach hard still. Sunstar looked like he was trying to call for help, but no one seemed to hear him. My attention was turned from the Clan leaders to the nursery again. The second kit-stealing patrol had arrived. The yowl that came from the nursery wasn't one of grief though, but one of pain. "Stonefang! My kits are coming! Stonefang!"

Stonefang's apprentice, Goosefoot, raced out of the medicine den with a few leaves in her mouth and ran straight into the nursery. While Goosefoot ran in, Whitequail and Brownsilver, the two assigned to distract the queens and pin them down on the second raid, ran out and joined in the fight. Rainclaw managed to throw Magnoliaflower off and guard the nursery entrance and his mate, Braveheart. Magnoliaflower bit his tail one last time and ran back to the battle, pouncing on Pinepaw.

Frogstar, having heard the queen's cry of pain, knew that the second raid had shown up and yowled, "SorrelClan! Retreat! There is nothing more for us to win here!" He was basically telling us that we had the kits and it was time to leave. The TreeClan cats seemed to sense that we weren't really retreating. We had simply finished our business there.

As the Clan was leaving, with us following behind, Goosefoot yowled loud enough for us to hear outside the camp, "SorrelClan stole the kits!" We broke into a quick run, the wounded being helped by those stronger than them. He reached the camp safely and Jaypaw and I checked the pit in the center.

Inside the pit were the stolen kits. The SorrelClan queens were guarding the pit carefully, their own kits safely hidden away in the elders' den. Frogstar took control of the situation immediately. We only had a matter of minutes before TreeClan would arrive to try and get their kits back.

He leapt onto the high tree and yowled, "Let all cats able to gather around the high tree for a Clan meeting!" The most wounded cats went into Badgerlight's den, while everyone else gathered around the high tree. Badgerlight had no apprentice, so the queens, who had no wounds, helped him treat injuries during the meeting. Most queens, instead of lying in the nursery all day, served as tons of apprentice medicine cats in SorrelClan. SorrelClan was a large Clan, so Badgerlight enjoyed the help.

"We have successfully stolen the TreeClan kits we were aiming for! Now, TreeClan will be coming to get them back. We must move quickly. We need a few warriors to stay behind and watch TreeClan while we are at the recovery island," Frogstar announced. Kinktail stood up and yowled, "I'll stay behind!" Frogstar nodded. "Anyone else?" Applefeather, and Brownsilver offered to stay behind as well.

Frogstar continued, "We need to leave immediately. Badgerlight, is every cat fit enough to make it to the recovery island?" Badgerlight looked up and replied, "Yes, Frogstar, but a few warriors will have to be carried." Frogstar nodded in acknowledgement and meowed, "Then we leave now. Kinktail, Applefeather, and Brownsilver, if TreeClan arrives, don't stop them from getting to the kits. Just report everything you see." The three warriors dipped their heads in respect and backed into the bushes to hide for awhile.

The recovery island, as we called it, was an island more fox lengths into the ocean than we could count. SorrelClan cats are good swimmers, though, so it was easy enough to get there. The waves are also really calm, unlike most oceans. After a battle, SorrelClan goes to the recovery island to recover, as the name suggests. Badgerlight had a great store of herbs there, and the prey was quite interesting. There were strange brown creatures that look a bit like twolegs with long tails and more fur, colorful birds that the kits are always scared of, and large, green lizards with tough, scaly skin.

The wounded, elderly, and kits rode to the island on rafts made of strong sticks tied together with bindweed. We all made it, and everyone recovered under Badgerlight's care. TreeClan got their kits back, but they were more wary of us afterwards. We had earned their respect... Sorta. It was a happy ending for SorrelClan. We weren't accused of stealing prey for awhile afterwards, and TreeClan definately had more scars from the battle than us.

* * *

"Did you really get to watch the whole battle from under a bush?" Cloudkit asked. I nodded, not quite sure if the kit said that in astonishment or disgust.

Bark-kit gasped in amazement. "Wow. I can't wait for my first battle!" The brown she-cat swatted Swifttkit and mock snarled, "Die, TreeClan fox-heart!" The kits began to play fight, charging out of the elders' den for more space.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to turtleheart2473 and MothFlight35 for reviewing last chapter!**

 **I'm super sorry about taking so long to update this. Life is busy, and I wrote about half of this chapter before deciding my idea was horrible, so I deleted it and started from scratch.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own _Warriors_...**

 **Review Replies:**

 **turtleheart2473: Thank you so much for reviewing! I try to update quickly, but life is busy. Plus chapter three was the longest piece of writing I've written in a while.**

 **MothFlight35: Thank you!**

* * *

"My kits? Where are my kits?" I jolted awake to the sound of one of the queens yowling desperatly. Quickly, I scrambled out of my nest and ran outside, my eyes quickly adjusting to the light of dawn.

A few other warriors stumbled out of the warriors' den, trying to blink the sleep from their eyes. Frogstar, also awakened by the noise, ran up to the queen who had caused the disturbance and asked, "Waterspots, what is it?"

The dark brown tabby queen waved her feathery tail around, its black tip flashing in the sun's rays. "My kits are gone. They were in the nursery last night, perfectly safe, but they aren't there now."

Otterwave padded to his mate's side and meowed, "I'm sure they're just in the dirt-place. I'll go check right now." The tom quickly headed towards the dirt-place tunnel to check for any sign of the lost kits.

Waterspots didn't look very assured. "The only scent of Duskkit and Fallowkit is stale. They haven't been in the nursery for awhile."

"Yarrowstem, Silverdawn, Driftpelt, Quailnight, go into the forest and search for Duskkit and Fallowkit," Frogstar ordered.

Just as I was about to head towards the camp entrance, my stomach growled loudly. Frogstar must have heard because he added, "Make sure you eat something before you head out. You may be gone awhile."

Waterspots looked at Frogstar gratefully, then rushed into the nursery. The rest of the patrol and I quickly ate a piece of fresh-kill each, aware that the lives of two kits could depend on how quickly or slowly we ate.

Otterwave returned from the dirt-place, the disappointed look on his face telling us that he hadn't found the kits there. Waterspots rushed back out of the nursery, a clump of moss in her mouth. She came up to the rest of the patrol and I and dropped the moss. "Not many cats visit the nursery, so I figured you wouldn't know what my kits smell like. The scent is stale, but you should be able to use this to find their scent. Please find them for me."

"We'll bring your kits back, Waterspots," Silverdawn replied. Waterspots looked at the silver tom gratefully, then headed back to the nursery, leaving the clump of moss with us.

I picked up the clump of moss and Quailnight led the patrol out of camp. Silverdawn, one of the best trackers in the Clan, sniffed the moss in my mouth and started searching through the bushes around us. After Quailnight and Driftpelt had sniffed the moss as well, I put it down carefully and started searching for the scent.

"I think I found something," Driftpelt meowed. We hurried over to look at the tom's find. There was a tuft of light colored fur caught on a bramble thorn that smelled similar to the moss Waterspots had given us.

"Do you think it's the kits'?" Driftpelt asked. Silverdawn nodded and bent his head down, sniffing the area around the bush.

Quailnight ran back to where I left the moss and picked it up, then followed Silverdawn, who was leading us off SorrelClan territory. Driftpelt and I followed, and we soon passed the border, Silverdawn still following the trail determinedly. He was so focused on following the kits' scent, he almost stepped on a terrified mouse, which none of us bothered to catch anyways.

Suddenly, Silverdawn stopped. He raised his head and sniffed the air. By now, I had scented it as well. "Fox," I hissed.

"The kits' scent mixes with the scent of fox here. I think the fox may have gotten them," Silverdawn told us. I shivered, hoping that the kits were still alive.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Quailnight pointed out. I studied the ground around us, and realized that the black she-cat was right. There was nothing here to suggest that the kits had been attacked.

"Does the scent trail continue?" I asked.

Silverdawn nodded and angled his ears to his left. "Their scent continues this way, but it's still mixed with the fox scent."

"Do you think they're all right?" Driftpelt asked, his voice worried.

"I hope so," Silverdawn replied. He then lowered his head to the ground again, and we continued to follow the scent trail.

Around sun-high, we finally stopped again. I hadn't realized the kits could have traveled so far. Silverdawn paused at a large bramble thicket, waving his tail to signal us to stop. He turned to face the rest of the patrol and whispered, "They're in the brambles somewhere, but, as I'm sure you can all tell, the fox scent here is strong and recent. I think the fox is in there too."

My pelt bristled. I had never actually battled a fox before, but I had seen one from a distance, and scented them on SorrelClan territory before.

"Ready?" Silverdawn asked. We all nodded. The silver tom crouched and began to crawl under the bramble thicket, trying to not make too much noise as his fur got stuck again and again.

Driftpelt crawled after him, then me, and finally, Quailnight. My fur got caught on the brambles again and again, until I was ready to just shred the bramble bushes, which probably would have taken less time than trying to crawl under them quietly.

Eventually, we all made it to the edge of the brambles, and lined up, ready to jump out and attack. There was a hole in the clearing at the center of the bramble patch, and the stench of fox was heavy in the air. I could barely smell the kits through the fox scent.

Silverdawn waved his tail, signaling us to attack. We all leaped out of the bushes and rushed down the tunnel at the same time, not yowling, snarling, or hissing like we might normally in an attempt to keep the element of surprise awhile longer.

The darkness of the tunnel was quickly replaced by bright sunlight as we entered a massive underground cavern. There was an opening in the ceiling, surrounded by trees and bushes, that let in the sunlight. The stench of fox here was so overwelming, you could taste it.

Silverdawn slowed down and raised his tail, signaling us to stop. Fear-scent surrounded him, Quailnight, and Driftpelt. Wondering what could make them so afraid, I moved around them and looked around the cavern.

The cavern was filled with foxes! Everywhere I looked, there were foxes. They were everywhere... sleeping on ledges, walking in and out of tunnels, drinking from the stream at the other end of the cavern... and staring right at us.

I trembled, wondering what they would do to the four cats that had wandered into their camp.

One by one, the foxes turned their heads to face the intruders, some growling and snarling, others tilting their heads in curiosity. An old gray fox walked slowly to the front of the gathering crowd of foxes, watching us carefully. A younger fox followed the old one, scraps of leaves sticking to his fur.

The old fox began to growl and snarl, barking words in a language we didn't understand. The younger fox stood next to him and listened carefully, then turned to the cats and started speaking.

"Fox leader Moon says cats not welcome in fox home," the fox said, clearly not fluent with speaking to cats. Amazed that the fox could speak to us at all, my jaw dropped open.

Silverdawn, always the calm one, padded in front of our little group and meowed confidently, "We are here for two of our kits. They wandered off our territory last night, and we were sent to retrieve them."

The younger fox turned back to the leader, Moon, and barked a translation of what the silver tom had just said. The old fox growled and barked more, and the other fox translated again, "Fox leader Moon says that kittens found on fox land last night are in nursery, with fox cubs."

I sighed in relief, glad that the foxes had not eaten them... yet.

"If fox leader Moon agrees, we would like the take them back without a fight," Silverdawn meowed, as calm as ever.

The translator barked something to the older fox, and he barked back. "Fox healer Maple will take you to kittens," the younger fox, who I realized must be Maple, told us.

Silverdawn nodded in ackowledgement, and lead us after Maple. The leader barked at the rest of the foxes, and they all returned to what they had been doing before. The healer lead us through a tunnel and into a smaller cave, with fox cubs wrestling while their mothers watched over them carefully.

As we walked in, the cubs stopped playing and turned to look at us. Two of the smaller ones ran up to me and tried to wrestle my tail to the ground. They were so much like Clan kits that I sat down and waved my tail back and forth to continue their game while watching the others and Maple.

One of the vixens watched the cubs playing with my tail worriedly, but didn't make any move to stop them. I looked through the cubs, and spotted two light-colored pelts amoung them. The kits were safe!

"Duskkit, Fallowkit, come here," Silverdawn meowed sternly. The two kits found their way through the group of fox cubs, who were a lot bigger than they were, and ran up to their Clanmates.

"You found us!" Duskkit squeaked. The white tom's gray eyes were wide. "We thought we would have to live with the stinky foxes forever!"

"Thank you!" Fallowkit purred to her rescuers. "And the foxes don't stink, Duskkit. They just smell... different, that's all." Duskkit rolled his eyes at his sister's politeness, but the healer, Maple, looked pleased that at least one of their guests didn't think they smelled bad.

"Time for leaving," the healer said. Silverdawn nodded and turned to the kits, asking, "Do we need to carrry you, or can you walk for now?"

"We can walk! We're not weak little kits anymore!" Duskkit growled.

Fallowkit swatted at her brother's ears, clearly not approving of his attitude. "I think we'll be alright walking for awhile," the cream she-cat mewed, her brown tail tip twitching in annoyance, and the black stripes on her muzzle flashing in the dull light.

"Goodbye," the healer barked, signaling that we should leave. I carefully shook the cubs off my tail and stood to leave with the rest of the group. We left the cavern the way we came in, and followed our own scent trail back to our territory.

"I'm glad that _that's_ over," Quailnight meowed. "I thought we were crow-food for sure." The kits were starting to fall behind, so Driftpelt gave Duskkit a badger ride, and I gave Fallowkit one as well.

Without the kits slowing us down, we could move a lot faster and reached camp just as the sun started to disappear below the horizon.

As the patrol walked through the entrance to camp, Waterspots burst from the nursery and ran straight for us. "My kits!" she yowled joyfully. Duskkit and Fallowkit jumped off Driftpelt and me and ran towards their mother. The kits had been heavy, and carrying them back to camp was tiring, so I laid down in some of the last rays of sunlight while Silverdawn reported to Frogstar, and the kits exaggerated the story to their mother.

"And.. and then, the smell was so strong, I almost _died_ ," Duskkit told his mother, bouncing up and down in excitement, his exhaustion forgotten.

"Did not!" Fallowkit mewed, swatting her brother again. Duskkit ducked under her paw and the two began to wrestle.

Silverdawn padded away from Frogstar to get something from the fresh-kill pile to eat, and Frogstar walked over to Waterspots. The dark brown tabby tom whispered something in her ear, and she gasped, then quickly began to groom her kits.

Frogstar jumped into his den, a hollow in the trunk of a large tree, and called out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tall Tree for a Clan meeting!"

The Clan slowly settled down beneath the Tall Tree. I stood up and stretched, then sat down next to my brother to watch the meeting.

"Duskkit, Fallowkit, please come forward," Frogstar meowed. He then jumped down from the Tall Tree to meet the two kits. Duskkit looked like he was worried he was going to be punished, and Fallowkit looked a lot calmer.

"Duskkit, Fallowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Duskpaw and Fallowpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

Frogstar looked into the crowd of cats before him and called out, "Silverdawn, come forward." The silver tabby tom's calm look broke for a moment, revealing a surprised warrior underneath. Two of his siblings, Blacknight and Whitequail, chuckled as their brother scratched an ear to cover up his expression, then walked up to the Tall Tree.

Frogstar's whiskers twitched in amusement, then continued, "Silverdawn, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Leafwhisper, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and brave. You will be the mentor of Fallowpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The leader turned back to the crowd as the newly named apprentice and mentor touched noses and called out, "Applefeather, come forward." The reddish tom stood up immediately, fluffy tail fluffed even more in excitement. Everyone knew that Applefeather would make a great leader someday if given the chance, but he had never had an apprentice yet. Training Duskpaw would be hard, and the perfect chance for Applefeather to gain more leadership experience.

"Applefeather, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You receieved excellent training from Kestrelwing, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and brave. You will be the mentor of Duskpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him," Frogstar finished. The new mentor and apprentice touched noses, and the Clan cheered for the two new apprentices, while Waterspots and Otterwave practically glowed with pride.

"Fallowpaw! Duskpaw! Fallowpaw! Duskpaw!"

* * *

"So all we need to do to become apprentices is go get lost in the forest and find a giant fox colony. Got it," Cloudkit mewed.

"No! No, absolutely not!" Bluerose ordered, having just walked inside to collect her kits. "If you do that, I will see to it that you don't leave the nursery until you're old and gray!"

The kits squeaked and ran from the elders' den, their mother following them and lecturing them on why kits should be more obediant and how they should never, ever even think about leaving camp without a warrior. The rest of the elders and I burst into laughter as we watched the scene from the den.

* * *

 **If anyone finds an error, please point it out. Thank you!**

 **Question of the Chapter: What would you call a fox sound? I used "bark," but I'm not entirely sure that's the best way to describe it.**

 **Review! Review! Review! And please suggest some other story ideas! Please.**

 **UPDATE: I noticed that the first chapter of this story has a lot of views, but then it just goes downhill from there. I don't want the first chapter to "scare people off", but I'm not sure if I should delete it or not. Do you think I should delete chapter one?**


End file.
